StarClan's Messenger Book One- Frigid Waters
by The Seventh Sage
Summary: Born into ThunderClan by Rosepetal and Lionstar, Ruekit thinks her life will be a luxury. But as a dark omen rises and cats are ending up dead with no trace of who did it, Ruekit begins to wonder if her life is all she thought it would be. ADOPTED FROM PETALWISH/PETALFIRE
1. Prologue and Thunderclan Alliances

_Petalwish/Petalfire was kind enough to give me this story to work on. Thank you Ben! I don't own warriors!_

* * *

StarClan's Messenger; Book One- Frigid Waters

_Tiger-cat is full of faith,_

_Darkest-kit has sealed her fate. _

_Graceful-cat is full of woe,_

_Strong tom-cat has far to go._

_Cat of Strong Heart is loving and giving,_

_Cat of Deep Claws spends his life truly living. _

_But the Firey-cat is the most great_

_For she alone can change Thunder's fate._

* * *

Thunderclan Alliances

Leader: Lionstar- golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Deputy: Cloudtail-long-haired white tom with blue eyes

Medicine Cat: Jayfeather- gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes

Warriors:

Brightheart- white she-cat with ginger patches

Cinderheart-gray tabby she-cat

Foxleap-reddish tabby tom

Bumblestripe-very pale gray tom with black stripes

Moleclaw- brown and cream tom

Cherryfur- ginger she-cat

Seedfur- very pale ginger she-cat

Lilytail- dark tabby she-cat with white patches

Apprentices:

Queens:

Rosepetal- dark cream she-cat, nursing Lionstar's kits

•Ruekit- Reddish dark cream she-kit with yellow eyes.

•Swankit- White she-kit with red eyes.

•Oakkit- Brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

•Hollykit- Dark brown she-kit with green eyes

Blossomfall-tortoiseshell and white she-cat, nursing Moleclaw's kits

•Shadekit- dark brown tom with white patches

Icecloud-white she-cat, expecting Toadstep's kits

Dovewing-pale gray she-cat with blue eyes, nursing Bumblestripe's kits

•Rootclaw- Gray tabby tom with green eyes.

•Rockkit- Dark gray tom with blue eyes.

•Stonekit- Light gray and white she-cat with green eyes.

Ivypool-silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes, expecting Foxleap's kits

Elders:

Graystripe-long-haired gray tom

Dustpelt-dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm-pale ginger she-cat with green eyes


	2. Chapter 1: Enter Ruekit

_I don't own Warriors!_

Frigid Waters: Chapter One

* * *

Ruekit lay in her nest, trying to fall back into the warm darkness that was sleep. Attempting to maintain her grip on the dream she was having, the dream that had just slipped through her paws. The warm feathers that lined the nest invited her to stay, but Ruekit knew she must wake for another day...

Defeat. The dream was gone. There was nothing left to do but get up from the nest now, and live. She was at the top of the heap, after all, daughter of Thunderclan's leader, noble Lionstar. And who beside him but her mother, Rosepetal? With all that going for her, Ruekit's life was better than dreams anyhow.

She left the empty den with a bright attitude. Her father was holding an apprentice ceremony; Shadekit's dream of becoming a medicine cat could very well come true. Ruekit did not envy him though; Jayfeather was still quite a grump.

Hollykit, the smallest of her siblings, pounced on the reddish she-kit's tail from a bush. Ruekit jumped in fright before play-growling and leaping at the dark she-kit playfully, biting gently on her ear.

"Hahaha! Stop it!" Hollykit laughed. "Lets go get Oakkit and Swankit!"

"Okay," Ruekit agreed, following her sister closer to the freshkill pile.

"Boo!" meowed Hollykit playfully, and Swankit rolled her eyes as Oakkit leapt into the air in surprise.

"Honestly Hollykit, you breathe so loud I could find you in the dead of night with hearing alone." The white she-kit meowed, giving her paw a lick.

"She still got Oakkit!" chuckled Ruekit.

"True," admitted Swankit.

"I'm still going to be a better warrior than anyone." meowed Hollykit boldly, puffing out her chest with pride.

Ruekit gave her a look. "Why do you say that?"

"It's a secret." The green eyes were mischievous.

"Whatever, Hollykit. Lets go play with Rootkit, Rockkit, and Stonekit!" exclaimed Oakkit.

"Yeah!" agreed Swankit, and the four ran off to find their denmates.

Rootkit and Rockkit were play-fighting, Stonekit cheering them on happily. As Ruekit watched, Oakkit and Hollykit joined the fray, Hollykit performing moves that seemed very thought out. Ruekit was impressed.

"How are you doing that?" She asked, and Hollykit shrugged.

"I've been practicing," she meowed humbly. "I'm not as big as Oakfur or the other kits, so I watched the warriors and decided I'd better train early to make up for my size."

"That's clever." Ruekit nodded. Hollykit smiled before leaping into 'battle' with the tom-kits. The fighting went on for quite awhile, until they were interrupted.

"Kits!" exclaimed a shrill Ivypool. "You have to be quiet near the nursery. Jayfeather is working!"

"On what?" asked Stonekit in a whisper. The other kits stopped fighting and looked to Ivypool for an answer.

"Icecloud is kitting. Soon you will have new denmates." Ivypool told them softly. She nodded at the nursery. "See? Lionstar is waiting for the new kits to arrive, so he can see them."

"Shadepaw's getting lots of practice already!" exclaimed Swankit before being shushed by the others. "Sorry," she whispered.

"What will they look like?" wondered Ruekit quietly. Ivypool purred.

"Perhaps one will look like Toadstep, their father."

"Who's Toadstep?" asked Rootkit curiously.

"He was a very brave warrior. He died in a battle against Windclan, and now his spirit resides in Starclan." Ivypool's dark blue eyes shimmered with a warm faith.

"Will you tell us more about Starclan?" asked Rockkit.

Ivypool sat and looked at them all with love. "Starclan is a beautiful paradise, where our ancestors watch over us and hunt with one another. Great leaders like Firestar and Bluestar are there, and courageous warriors like Toadstep and Hollyleaf. It is our final reward to join their ranks."

"What if you're a bad cat? Like Tigerstar?" asked Ruekit hesitantly. "I don't want to go to Starclan if cats like HIM are there!"

Ivypool's eyes grew remorseful. "No, no." She shook her head. "Cats like Tigerstar go to a dark place, a forest of no stars. It's called the Dark Forest-"

"_Ivypool_!" snapped Jayfeather from the nursery entrance. "For Starclan's _sake_, they're kits! Besides, Icecloud's kits are born and named. You may come inside." with that he padded away with Shadepaw at his side, talking though a bundle of leaves.

* * *

The two kits were tiny, and Icecloud was still purring as they squirmed by her belly. The black and white she-kit was named Toadkit; probably after Toadstep, and the black tom-kit Sootkit. They looked very fragile and helpless at their mother's belly.

_And to think I looked like that_, thought Ruekit.

"Isn't it odd?"

Ruekit whirled around, and was face-to-face with a tom-kit whose pelt was black with white spots, and had blue paws. He appeared to be her own age, though many scars adorned his pelt, more scars than she'd seen on any warrior.

He laughed. "We all come from these humble beginnings, scraps of fur. But we all become so obsessed with our differences that we turn on eachother, ripping one another apart with words and claws. Those who are deemed weakest often become strongest, and the weak and the strong birth the next generation, who continue through the cycle..." his gray eyes shone with love as he watched Toadkit and Sootkit.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Ruekit blurted.

"I'm Skykit. It's nice to meet you." Skykit meowed politely.

"What clan are you from?" Ruekit asked.

"Starclan." the gray-eyed tom-kit meowed simply. "You're dreaming, Ruekit."


	3. Chapter 2: Darkest-kit

Frigid Waters Chapter Two

_"You're dreaming, Ruekit."_

* * *

"Why are you here, then?" Ruekit asked.

"I bear a warning." Skykit answered.

"Then why don't you tell my father or a warrior? I'm a _kit_!" demanded the reddish she-kit.

"I'm not telling them because the warning is for you _specifically_. It is a message... She won't be happy if I forgot..." He tilted his head and closed his eyes in concentration. "Oh yes! She told you to hold on to your ability to love."

"What does love have to do with-" Ruekit was interrupted by someone nudging her.

"I'll see you later, Ruekit." Skykit meowed in farewell.

* * *

"Ruekit! Wake up!" ordered Rosepetal. "Come on!"

She opened her yellow eyes. "What's going on?"

"Just leave the nursery with me. Please." begged Rosepetal.

She padded out of the nursery obediently, ushered to the warriors den by Ivypool and Icecloud.

"What's going on?" She asked Rootkit in an undertone.

"I don't know, Ruekit. But I smelled something gross." He replied slowly, uncertainty in his voice.

"Gross as in...?" Ruekit prompted.

"I smelled blood, and lots of it." replied Rootkit quietly.

"Whose blood?" asked Ruekit forcefully.

"I-I don't know. At first I thought it was you, but..." Rootkit looked down firmly.

They had reached the warriors den, and the queens watched outside the nursery. Ruekit glanced around- there was Rootkit, Rockkit, and Stonekit- Toadkit, Sootkit- Oakkit, Swankit-

"Hollykit," realized Ruekit. Hollykit was the one whose blood Rootkit had smelled. What had happened?

* * *

After what felt like moons of waiting, Ruekit's impatience clawed too deeply and she wriggled under the wall of the den. She worked her way to the medicine den.

"Brother, how has this happened? She's but a kit-" Lionstar meowed.

"I suspect a darker force at work here, Lionstar." answered Jayfeather. "Yellowfang has passed a prophecy to me. A part of it, anyway."

He sighed. "_Tiger-cat is full of faith, Darkest-kit has sealed her fate_."

"That's... That's it?" Lionstar asked. "Why does that make you suspicious?"

"_Darkest_-kit, Lionstar. Hollykit has the darkest fur of your kits, of the whole nursery, excluding Sootkit. But I received the prophecy far before Sootkit's birth..."

Lionstar was silent for a moment. "I have to organize patrols," he meowed, and padded out of the den.

"Ruekit, come see your sister if that's what you're here for," ordered Jayfeather. "her time may very well be up."

Ruekit shuffled into the den shamefully. "How did you know I was there?"

Jayfeather did not reply. He pointed his tail at Hollykit before padding to a pile of herbs and nosing through them, quietly muttering to himself.

"Rue... kit?" asked Hollykit in a whisper as the reddish cream she-kit crept closer.

"Hollykit, why are you bleeding so much?" asked Ruekit gently, genuine concern in her voice.

The dark brown she-kit's green eyes looked at herself; she was surrounded by a pool of blood, her fur soaked in the thick, red liquid. "I was... foolish, Ruekit..." she answered shakily.

The moss forming her nest was soaking up most of the liquid, but Ruekit was close enough that her paws were kissed by the blood of her sister. "Hollykit, who did this to you?"

"I didn't... he said he was... a good cat..." she tried to shift her position but cried out in pain; the clawmarks on the brown cat's neck bleed even more. "I wish... that I could've been a warrior... R-Ruekit?"

"Yes, Hollykit?" answered Ruekit, afraid for her sister, afraid that-

"Do you think I'll go to Starclan?"

"I don't know, Hollykit..."

"I killed some cat," admitted Hollykit. "I don't... know if I'll be allowed... into Starclan... because of... that..." she began to trail off.

"Hollykit, don't leave!" ordered Ruekit, tears of fear and mourning filling her eyes. "Hollykit, you can't leave us! You're going to be a warrior, remember?"

"I... love... you... all..." the green eyes met yellow for what felt like moons, before they closed forever.

"Hollykit!" cried Ruekit, allowing tears to pour down her cheeks, "Hollykit, wake up!"

"She's gone, Ruekit." the said kit looked up to see Jayfeather behind her, blind blue eyes blank. "She's not here anymore."

* * *

"And Ruepaw's mentor will be Cloudtail," declared Lionstar proudly.

"Ruepaw! Swanpaw! Oakpaw!" cheered Thunderclan, and Ruepaw was filled with pride. If only Hollykit was beside her for this day, to receive a mentor and an apprentice name of her own...

_I hope you're happy, Hollykit_, thought Ruepaw_. I hope you're safe now._

* * *

_I finally updated! Sorry for the super long wait, I've been very busy with family and personal stuff... But here we go!_

_So Hollykit is the Darkest-kit... Who are Tiger-cat, Graceful-cat, Strong Tom-cat, and the others? _

_See you next chapter._

_-Seventh_


	4. Chapter 3: Mourn, Then Move On

Frigid Waters Chapter Three

The lush and fragrant smells of lavender and could not hide the scent that plagued Hollykit's now cold fur: death.

Ruekit now lay beside her siblings, mother and father, grieving silently in the clearing. The Clan was also grieving, but none of them would let it show; it seemed like they only allowed Lionstar, Rosepetal and their kits to grieve on such a night, as Hollykit was their own flesh and blood.

Rosepetal would not stop weeping, and neither would Swankit. Oakkit sat in silence, a few tears pouring down his own cheeks, acting much like Lionstar.

But Ruekit shed the most tears through a silent screaming, drops of salty water pouring down her face, pooling at her paws. Through the pain she said nothing, taking shaky breaths._ Oh, Hollykit..._

"Ruepaw, you have to stop this. Grieving will do no good. She died a moon ago." Ruepaw turned her head to see Skykit, his gray eyes betraying his annoyance.

"Hollykit is _dead_, Skykit. I don't know who killed her, the clan is puzzled, my mother is in shock..." Ruepaw growled low in her throat.

"She died at the claws of the Dark Forest. Her jealousy made her vulnerable to their advances, and one warrior killed her after having her prove her power by killing a living cat." meowed Skykit.

"Which warrior?" asked Ruepaw, glaring at Skykit through cold yellow eyes.

He chuckled. "Don't let anger destroy you, Ruepaw. Hold on to your ability to love." with that, the cats surrounding Ruepaw began to fade, and the reddish she-cat woke in her nest.

"Wake up, Ruepaw!" Rootpaw poked her with a paw. "Today we're going to do battle training! Wake up already!"

Ruepaw got up with a huff of annoyance. "Alright, alright," she murmured, giving her fur a few licks.

"Hey, you don't have to be so sad all the time." meowed Rootpaw, compassion in his green eyes. "Hollykit would want you to enjoy yourself."

"How do you know what my sister wants for me?" Ruepaw hissed. "She's dead!"

"Ruepaw, all I know is what I want for you," he murmured, "and that is for you to be happy." with that the gray tabby left the den, his tail dragging in the dirt.

"Better, Ruepaw." encouraged Cloudtail kindly. "Now just try to be a little faster with that left forepaw of yours... There we go,"

Ruepaw preformed the move again, taking the advice Cloudtail gave her. She knocked Rootpaw over and drug her paws across his belly, then jumped away. "Like that?" she panted.

"Exactly." Cloudtail smiled. "Good job, Ruepaw."

"If this were a real battle, I would be crow-food." Rootpaw got to his paws. "Is it my turn now?"

"Yes, go on ahead," answered Foxleap. "remember how Ruepaw did it."

Rootpaw preformed the move before Ruepaw could even blink. "Wow, you're fast." She complimented Rootpaw before getting up.

He gave his chest fur a lick. "Thanks," he meowed humbly. "I had time to work it out while you were doing it, otherwise I'd be slower than a Riverclan cat in green-leaf."

"I miss green-leaf," meowed Ruekit longingly. "Thunderclan is doing okay, but it's just so cold."

"Yeah," agreed Foxleap. "We should go hunting now that we've just about wrapped this up."

"Agreed," meowed Cloudtail. "Come along."

The quartet headed into the dense forest quietly, looking for signs of prey. Snow covered the land like a cold pelt of white fur, deep and thick.

"Rabbit," whispered Rootpaw to Ruepaw, who sniffed the air for the creature. The two slowly crept around, flanking the rabbit before Rootclaw chased it into Ruepaw's ready claws.

"There's one," meowed the cream she-cat. "Help me bury it."

They continued to hunt in this manner, until the four of them caught two squirrels and three mice in addition to the rabbit. Quite pleased with themselves, they carried their catches to the camp.

"See? Thunderclan has more than enough prey!" a snooty tom's voice cut through the camp. "You could very well-"

"I won't make my warriors hunt for your clan, Branchstar. Now leave!" Lionstar roared, and the small brown tom growled back.

"This means _war_, Lionstar! I have given you territories-"

"Territories we _won_, coward! GO!"

Branchstar scrambled out of the clan, and Lionstar nodded to a group of warriors, who chased him out.

"Branchstar should know to leave Lionstar be," muttered Cloudtail. "all of the blood spilled over the petty quarrels of Branchstar cannot be made up for."

Ruepaw was quiet. Rootpaw spoke up. "Does this mean Branchstar is going to attack us?"

"Probably," meowed Cloudtail. "I must go to talk with Lionstar." the white tom trotted off.

Ruepaw wandered over to the medicine den to find Rosepetal. The cream she-cat was staring into nowhere, green eyes empty. At her feet lay a squirrel, and a tuft of Hollykit's dark fur.

"Mama..." Ruepaw padded up to her mother. "Mama, you have to eat. You have to..."

"My kit is dead," Rosepetal murmured to no one. "She died pawsteps away from myself, and no one did anything..." tears fell down her cheeks. "I am a terrible mother..."

"No, Mama, no. You're a very _good_ mother!" Ruepaw came closer. "You've just had bad things happen to you. But Hollykit is safe now, and she's watching over us." just saying it made Ruepaw believe it. _Yes, Hollykit is safe. Hollykit is okay. _

For a moment, Rosepetal said nothing. "Run along, Ruekit... I need to sleep." She lay down and wrapped her tail around herself.

"I love you, Mama." Ruepaw leaned forward and licked her mother's head affectionately before creeping out of the den.

Cinderheart and Lionstar were deep in discussion in the corner of the camp, while most of the others were sharing tongues or eating. Jayfeather was in the medicine den, with Rosepetal and Sandstorm.

Ruepaw ate a squirrel with Rootpaw, who was purring between every bite. She looked at him. "Why are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" he asked, mouth full of meat.

"Purring so much." answered the yellow-eyed apprentice.

"Oh, I'm purring? I didn't realize." he kept chewing the fresh-kill. "I guess I'm glad to see you've cheered up some."

Not knowing how to reply, Ruepaw bit into the squirrel and chewed the tough meat.

"Ruepaw?"

"Yes?" she answered, wondering what on earth he wanted.

"When you become a warrior do you think you'll want a mate and kits?"

Ruepaw thought for a moment. "It really depends on who the mate would be." she answered after swallowing her mouthful. "I don't want someone mean as a mate."

"If it were me?" Rootpaw's green eyes shone with something Ruepaw only now recognized; love.

She tilted her head at the gray tabby. "Maybe," she replied.

He looked at her. "I can wait," he replied, warmth in his voice.

They were interrupted by a yowl from Jayfeather. The two apprentices snapped their heads over to the blind medicine cat, as he declared for all to hear, to all who did not want to hear. "Rosepetal is dead!"

_I thought RootXRue was kinda cute, even if I suck at writing at it. I hope you liked this chapter, in all of its shortness and stuff. So it looks like I'm having two deaths in a row... Poor Ruepaw... _


End file.
